Aspirin

Aspirin (/ˈæsp(ə)rɪn/^[10]) is the genericized trademark for acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation, and as an antithrombotic.^[11] Specific inflammatory conditions that aspirin is used to treat include Kawasaki disease, pericarditis, and rheumatic fever.^[11]

Aspirin is also used long-term to help prevent further heart attacks, ischaemic strokes, and blood clots in people at high risk.^[11] For pain or fever, effects typically begin within 30 minutes.^[11] Aspirin works similarly to other NSAIDs but also suppresses the normal functioning of platelets.^[11]

One common adverse effect is an upset stomach.^[11] More significant side effects include stomach ulcers, stomach bleeding, and worsening asthma.^[11] Bleeding risk is greater among those who are older, drink alcohol, take other NSAIDs, or are on other blood thinners.^[11] Aspirin is not recommended in the last part of pregnancy.^[11] It is not generally recommended in children with infections because of the risk of Reye syndrome.^[11] High doses may result in ringing in the ears.^[11]

A precursor to aspirin found in the bark of the willow tree (genus Salix) has been used for its health effects for at least 2,400 years.^[12][13] In 1853, chemist Charles Frédéric Gerhardt treated the medicine sodium salicylate with acetyl chloride to produce acetylsalicylic acid for the first time.^[14] Over the next 50 years, other chemists, mostly of the German company Bayer, established the chemical structure and devised more efficient production methods.^{[14]: 69–75} Felix Hoffmann (or Arthur Eichengrün) of Bayer was the first to produce acetylsalicylic acid in a pure, stable form in 1897.^[15] By 1899, Bayer had dubbed this drug Aspirin and was selling it globally.^[16]: 27

Aspirin is available without medical prescription as a proprietary or generic medication^[11] in most jurisdictions. It is one of the most widely used medications globally, with an estimated 40,000 tonnes (44,000 tons) (50 to 120 billion pills) consumed each year,^[12][17] and is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.^[18] In 2022, it was the 36th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 16 million prescriptions.^[19][20]